Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Another side trip....

Hi Everyone, I need to apologize for once again not writing about our move. I have been part of a support group for Goldenhar Syndrome. I want to share a story with them that I wrote for my children when they were young so I am posting it here. I was so irritated that in most of the fairy tales before we ever knew who Shrek was, all of the toads, beasts, poor guys, etc. changed at the first kiss into Prince Charmings with good hair, fortunes, etc. So, I wrote this story...it is heavy handed in its message but here it is....and I promise I will be getting back to our moving events....

Once upon a time a little girl was born.

Her family loved stories. They loved to read them and to tell them to each other.

Little Cindy grew up hearing many of the fairy tales that people have told each other for hundreds of years. She knew how all of the wonderful, beautiful girls always found their Prince Charmings so that they could live happily everafter.

Cindy would occasionally let her mind wonder to the future, her future. Would her Prince Charming be a real “hunk”? Would he be fun to be with or just good to look at? Would he be intelligent, sincere, kind and, most importantly, madly, deeply in love with her. He had to be if he was her Prince Charming! But how would she know him? How could she recognize him?

The years passed by quickly and before she knew it, Cindy was grown up. She had finished her schooling. Her life was busy with a job, volunteering, spending time with family and friends. Sometimes she would think about the stories that her family loved. The stories might explain why some of her closest friends were willing to date men who were like the toads, and beasts of the stories. Maybe they were under an evil spell….maybe.

When her friends kissed these men did they expect that when their lips met that it would be a magical moment when this guy would turn into a handsome Prince Charming; would there be fireworks? Would soft music start to play in the background? Would they know for sure that they were meant to be together for ever? Cindy was sure that none of that had ever happened to her friends. And she personally had never seen a toad become a Prince, Charming or otherwise…

One day Cindy met Robin. She knew right away that Robin was no Prince Charming. His car was super ugly…Volvos are fine cars but Robin’s 1966 Volvo had survived a rollover and had the dents to show for it. Robin didn’t much care about what clothes he wore… For Robin his clothes were just fine if they were his size and kept him warm.

Cindy knew that Robin was not a “boyfriend” type. Robin would just be a friend.

He was a wonderful friend! Robin knew more jokes, riddles and stories than anyone she had ever met. He was quick-witted and funny. He made Cindy laugh. Robin saw humor in almost any situation. He taught Cindy how to play tennis, and that mint jelly goes well with lamb and applesauce tastes good with pork chops. Robin loved flowers and he would often take some to Cindy to decorate her office.

Cindy, Robin and their friends did many things together. They liked to play tennis in the early morning, go to restaurants, hike in the mountains, walk on the wharf, go to the movies and much more. Things friends like to do together.

Many of their friends were getting married. How could they be sure that they had found the right one? True love? Their Prince Charming? Cindy hoped that they would live “happily everafter.”

Who would her Prince Charming turn out to be? Had she already met him? She had a list of things he had to be….he had to be fun to be with, intelligent, sincere, kind…he would have to be a lot like her best friend Robin. But he would be different than Robin because Robin was different from most people. Robin had been born with only one ear He had had lots of surgeries to “fix” things that didn’t develop like they should have before he was born. His face had had some reconstructive surgery on the right side. You might be wondering if he was ugly, no he wasn’t. He had beautiful green eyes and a goofy smile that made you smile too. He was not the handsome guy you think Prince Charming should be but Cindy knew that she was not as beautiful as the Princesses in all of the stories.

Cindy loved Robin’s smile, his laughter..especially when he giggled. Robin was so kind. He was her best friend and Cindy knew in her heart that she loved Robin.

Robin told Cindy that he had loved her for a while but that he wasn’t sure that she would love him back. He wasn’t sure if she knew that not all Prince Charmings are perfectly handsome, or even perfectly intelligent but all Prince Charmings should be kind, caring and perfectly in love with the Princess of their choice and Robin was.

When Cindy first kissed Robin she may have heard music, she wasn’t sure. But when Cindy opened her eyes she knew that Robin was her Prince Charming. He looked the same as he ever had and that was just the way she wanted it to be. Cindy loved Robin.

They had a beautiful summer garden wedding with family and friends.

As the years passed Robin and Cindy faced all of the problems life threw their way, together as a team. Best of all they had two beautiful baby girls and one handsome baby boy. Robin and Cindy knew that their children would grow up to be kind, gentle, intelligent people with a wonderful sense of humor. The kind of people who know that you shouldn’t kiss toads or beasts in hope of them becoming something different….you should only kiss them if you love toads and some people do…